Unitary, resilient heat-resisting buck pad for garment pressing machines



UNITARY, RESILIENT HEAT-RESISTING BUCK PAD FOR GARMENT PRESSING MACHINE Filed April 1l, 1947 Dec. 13, 1949 R. H. RElss ET AL 2,490,981

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Patented Dec. 13 1949 :UNITARY, RESILIEN T HEAT-RESISTING BUCK PAD FOR GARMENT PRESSING' MACHINES Raymond H. Reiss,v New York, N. Y., and Charles S. Powell, Morristown, and Paul R. T. Hahn, Westfield, N.J.,.assignors to Reiss Manufac turing Corporation, Wilmington, Del., a corporation of Delaware l Application April ,11, 1947, Serial No. 740,766

- u 3 Claims.

The present Yinvention relatesVA toa pad for a garment pressingflcuclr.` More-particularly, the invention provides anew andimproved' pad construction fora pressing buck of the typev used in'g-arinent-.pressing machines, uponwhich garments may be steamed and pressed and through which air maybe drawn in order to cool and dry the garments and prevent'the condensation of steamthereim v f The invention aims: te provide a pad construction whichwill be more eiicient in use, more long lasting, andsimpler- .toremove-and replace than those heretofore emp1oyed.,-

A primaryobjectvof lthe invention is to eliminate, in garmentpressingback pads, theuse of cotton padding, felt, and similar brous materials as the resilient, cushionl member, since it has been found in practice that such fibrouspads, under the inuence ofheat and pressure conditions encountered in use, quickly become matted and compacted, and otherwise lose their resilient and gas pervious properties, with .the result `that an efficient pressingv operationcannot be aecomplished. v Y,

`In a normal pressing operation, steam admitted from the press `head penetrates the garment and softens the bers. enough topermit thernto be formed under heat and pressure, after which they are again set and made stable by drawing drying .air through Athe garment, by vacuum in the buck, therebyremoving moisture from the garment.

The resilient characteristicsofl the pad are essential, in-order to produce an even-continuous and uniform. pressing. pressure .on `the garment,

to eliminate creasesand wrinkles,L and to restore the garment .to its original, fresh/appearance. The gas pervious qualities ofthepad are essential, in Vorder to permit the ilowv of steam=through the garment and pedand thentol facilitate the flow of air, undertheinuence of the vacuum pro. duced .in the-buck,,in.order to removethe steam and to prevent the formation of water of condensation andtoic'ool and dry the garment. o With buck pads. constructed in accordance'with the prior art, employing layers of cotton. felt, or other fibrous bodies as the resilient, cushion members, the material 'becomesmatted non-resilient and relatively impervious tothepassage of gases, after a relatively short period oi` use. As a result, difcultiesare encountered in imparting a smooth press to vthe garments; undue amountsoi' pres-` sure are applied at certain points where two or three thicknesses of material are present, as at the cuirs, pockets and the like; buttons are often broken, and other diliclllte encountered. Moreover, steam cannot be readiiyfdrawn .out of lthe garment into the buck and cooling air cannot be drawn through the pads kto cool and dry the garment. Hence, the buck pads of lthe priorart have had to be discarded and replaced after rela; tively short periods'of use, with consequentftrou.- ble and expense.

In accordance with the present invention the use of cotton, felt, andjother `fibrous materials is entirely dispensed with as the resilient cushion element of the buck pad assembly, and a layer of substantial thickness of a porous, resilient, heat resisting, synthetic material, suchfas synthetic sponge rubber, is used in place thereof, in cornbination with certain other novel elements., facilitating the functioning of the resilient layer, both as to the passage of gas therethrough and the even, soft, yet rm, pressing of the garment Ythereon.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from a considera tion of the embodiment shown for purposes of. illustration in the accompanying drawings, in which: o

Figure 1 is an exploded., perspective View of a garment pressing pad in association with a con-.- ventional buck, and

Figure 2 is a transverse section through the buck, with the pad in assembled position thereon.

The inventionis not limited to any particular type of pressing machine or buck, but for purposes of illustration, a Holtmann type pressing machine buck is shown, comprising a pedestal I0, projecting upwardly from a base II-carrying a table I2, a hollow buck support I3 and a buck proper I4. The upper surface `l5 of the latter is drilled at a yplurality ofpoints toprovide apertures "I6, which maybe 1/vinch in diameter, leading into the hollow interiorV I'I thereof, the interior being connected to a Source of vacuum and, if desired, to an independent source of steam under pressure, neither of which is shown in the accompanying drawings, as forming no part of the invention. o

The pad, adapted to be supported upon the upper surface I5 of the buck preferably oo nprising a cushion layer 20 of substantial thickness, such as 1A, to 3A of an inch, of a resilient, heat resisting, synthetic material, such as Synthetic sponge rubber. VThis material may be of any one of a plurality of types. For instance, neoprene consisting kof polymerized betaechloriSODIene iS Suitable. Berbunan synthetic vrubber is also well adapted for use in accordance with the invention, comprising a copolymer of acrylonitrile and butadiene, usually in a ratio of 25% and 75%, respectively. Silicone synthetics, comprising polymerized organosilicon compounds are also suitable, such as the material known as Silastic Synthetic sponge rubber suitable for this application may have a plurality of independent voids or cells, not communicating with each other, as the requisite porosity of the pad as a whole may be provided by forming a plurality of holes 2l in the pad for the passage of air and moisture during the pressing operation. In many cases, however, it is preferred to employ a synthetic sponge rubber which has connecting or intercommunieating voids or cells of suiiicient capacity to permit the flow of air therethrough, as is the case with natural and synthetic sponge. With such materials, if the porosity is suiiciently high, the holes 2l for the passage of air may be eliminated, but in most cases, the holes are preferred.

These holes or apertures 2l may be of any suitable diameter, such as approximately 1/4 inch and extend through the entire thickness of the pad, yfrom the upper to the lower surface. A substantially impervious backing sheet of heat resisting material 23, provided with a plurality of apertures 24, registering with the apertures 2i of the resilient layer, may be employed. Asbestos board is suitable, but other insulating material may be substituted, to protect the cushion layer from direct contact with the heat of the buck I5. However, if highly heat resisting synthetic resilient sponge materials are used, such as Silastic, the backing 23 may be eliminated, as such materials are capable of withstanding the direct heat of the buck i4.

A pair of relatively coarse wire mesh screens 25, 26 may be positioned below the lower surface of the asbestos sheet 23, above the upper surface of'the buck l5. If desired, the wires in the two screens may be arranged to cross each other at 45 angles, instead of being substantially parallel as shown. The screens facilitate the flow of air from the apertures 2l and 24 in the cushion 2D and backing 23 to the apertures i6 in the upper face l5 of the buck.

If the apertures in the backing 23 and pad 20 are made to register exactly with the apertures I6 in the buck, the screens 25 and 26 may be eliminated, but since the apertures I6 are often drilled in an irregular, non-uniform pattern, the screens are preferred, to vfacilitate the free ow of air.

Above the resilient layer 2S, there is positioned a relatively iine wire mesh screen 28, such as 50- mesh screen, having a depending fabric skirt 29 secured to its margin. The skirt may be provided, adjacent its lower edge, with a strap 30 having a conventional buckle or clasp 3i associated therewith. The skirt may be attached to the margins of the screen by any suitable means, such as sewing threads 32.

Preferably the pad of the present invention is assembled as a unitary structure, consisting of the upper screen 23 and the skirt 29, having the cushion 3i), the backing 23 and the screens and 26 arranged therein. Screens 25 and 2t, being of slightly larger diameter than the retaining skirt, are forced into the skirt 29 and are held in place by engagement of their edges therewith. Hence, the pad may be placed upon the buck as a. unit and secured in position by tightening the strap 30.

Above the screen 28, there is provided a cover 34 of pervious woven fabric, such as nylon, which is highly desirable, or other types of covering. The cover includes a depending skirt 35, which may terminate at its lower edge in a hem 36, in which a drawstring or a resilient band, such as a coil spring 31 may be disposed.

After the pad has been placed upon the buck and secured in position by the strap 3U and clamp 3|, the cover 34 may be placed over the pad and Y the spring 31 will draw the hem inwardly below the buck, to prevent inadvertent relative movement of the cover and to stretch the same tightly in place.

It is thought that the operation of the present invention will be apparent from a consideration of the foregoing description. The use of a porous, resilient, heat resisting, synthetic material, such as synthetic sponge rubber permits the iiow of steam and air through all portions of the cushion. This material has vastly longer life than brous materials heretofore employed and will not become matted or lose its resilience or its gas perviousness in use. The wire screens 25, 26 facilitate the free communication between the apertures in the buck and the apertures in the cushion, and eliminate the necessity of having the apertures carefully aligned. The backing sheet 23 of heat insulating material protects the cushion layer from the heat of the buck, if such protection is necessary. The relatively ne wire mesh screen 28 provides a firm yet flexible pressing surface and effectively bridges the gaps formed by the apertures 2l in the cushion disk.

The invention is not limited to the details of construction shown in the accompanying drawings and described above, but includes all modications coming within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

We claim:

1. A pad for a pressing machine buck of the type having a plurality of openings in its upper surface upon which garments may be steamed and pressed and through which air for drying may be drawn by vacuum, comprising a layer of substantial thickness of a porous, resilient, heat resisting, synthetic material having a plurality of apertures extending therethrough, a relatively stii backing layer of substantially impervious heat-.resisting material below the iirst mentioned layer and having a plurality of apertures therein aligned with the rst mentioned apertures, a wire mesh screen below the backing, adapted to engage the upper surface of the buck and to establish communication between the apertures in the layer and backing and the buck openings irrespective of registration therebetween, a wire mesh screen above said first mentioned layer, a fabric covering above the screen and means for securing the pad to the buck.

2. A pad for a pressing machine buck of the type upon which garments may be steamed and pressed and through which air for drying may be drawn by vacuum, comprising a layer of substantial thickness of a cellular, resilient, heat resisting, synthetic material having a plurality of apertures extending therethrough, a relatively stiff backing layer of substantially gas impervious heat resisting material having a plurality of apertures extending therethrough in registration with the first mentioned apertures, a wire mesh screen above the layer of resilient material bridging the open upper ends of the rst mentioned apertures and preventing indentation into said apertures of fabric being pressed, and a fabric covering for the screen.

3. A pad for a pressing machine buck of the type having a plurality of openings in its upper surface upon which garments may be steamed and pressed and through which air for drying may be drawn by vacuum, comprising a layer of substantial thickness of a porous, resilient, heat resisting, synthetic material. a relatively stiff backing layer of substantially impervious heatresisting and insulating material having a plurality of apertures therein, a pair of superposed, relatively coarse Wire mesh screens adapted to be positioned upon the surface of the buck to establish communication between said apertures and the openings in the buck, irrespective of registration therebetween, a ner mesh wire screen above said resilient layer, bridging the upper ends of the openings in the iirst mentioned layer and preventing indentation thereinto of a garment being pressed, means for securing the screens and the layers to a buck, and a cover for the assembly so produced.

R. H. REISS.V CHARLES S. POWELL. PAUL R. T. HAHN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

